Real Time Animation of Virtual Humans: A Trade-off Between Naturalness and Control

Virtual humans are employed in many interactive applications using 3D virtual environments, including (serious) games. The motion of such virtual humans should look realistic (or ‘natural’) and allow interaction with the surroundings and other (virtual) humans. Current animation techniques differ in the trade-off they offer between motion naturalness and the control that can be exerted over the motion. We show mechanisms to parametrize, combine (on different body parts) and concatenate motions generated by different animation techniques. We discuss several aspects of motion naturalness and show how it can be evaluated. We conclude by showing the promise of combinations of different animation paradigms to enhance both naturalness and control

A survey on human performance capture and animation

With the rapid development of computing technology, three-dimensional (3D) human body models and their dynamic motions are widely used in the digital entertainment industry. Human perfor- mance mainly involves human body shapes and motions. Key research problems include how to capture and analyze static geometric appearance and dynamic movement of human bodies, and how to simulate human body motions with physical e�ects. In this survey, according to main research directions of human body performance capture and animation, we summarize recent advances in key research topics, namely human body surface reconstruction, motion capture and synthesis, as well as physics-based motion sim- ulation, and further discuss future research problems and directions. We hope this will be helpful for readers to have a comprehensive understanding of human performance capture and animatio

Virtual and Face-to-Face Team Collaboration Comparison Through an Agent-Based Simulation

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the acceptance of virtual team collaboration as a replacement for face-to-face collaboration. Unlike face-to-face collaboration, virtual collaboration is influenced by unique factors, such as technology mediation. However, there is a lack of rigorous research that assesses the impact of virtual collaboration on the engineering design process. Therefore, the current study investigates the effect of virtual team collaboration on design outcomes by means of the model of influence, learning, and norms in organizations (MILANO) framework. To tailor MILANO for virtual collaboration, this paper first presents an empirical study of human design teams, which shows how model parameter values for face-to-face collaboration (like self-efficacy, perceived influencers, perceived degree of influence, trust and familiarity) differ from appropriate parameter values for face-to-face collaboration. The simulation results for both virtual and face-to-face collaboration show how design outcomes differ with collaboration mode. Unlike teams with a few well-defined influential individuals, the mode of collaboration does not have a significant impact on teams where all individuals are equally influential. Virtual collaboration also results in lower exploration and variety than face-to-face collaboration

Turn-by-wire: Computationally mediated physical fabrication

Advances in digital fabrication have simultaneously created new capabilities while reinforcing outdated workflows that constrain how, and by whom, these fabrication tools are used. In this paper, we investigate how a new class of hybrid-controlled machines can collaborate with novice and expert users alike to yield a more lucid making experience. We demonstrate these ideas through our system, Turn-by-Wire. By combining the capabilities of a traditional lathe with haptic input controllers that modulate both position and force, we detail a series of novel interaction metaphors that invite a more fluid making process spanning digital, model-centric, computer control, and embodied, adaptive, human control. We evaluate our system through a user study and discuss how these concepts generalize to other fabrication tools